This invention relates to a driving connection for use between an internal combustion engine and for instance, a rotating casing of a torque converter and having an intermediate part of resilient or flexible material for transmitting drive.
The main operational requirements for such connections are that they sould be capable of accepting a certain degree of misalignment and allow a certain degree of axial movement between the connected parts. At the same time the resilience should be such that the connected parts rotate at speeds below the critical speed the whole time, or in some cases, at speeds between the critical speed ranges.
Many types of resilient driving connections are known and, in some of these, the resilience is varied for the transmission of different torques, allowing a critical speed to be exceeded or permitting operation in the critical speed ranges.
In general, known driving connections are expensive and fulfil the requirements to a greater or lesser extent in one respect or another. Such connections include star plates and different kinds of waved discs permitting very high critical speeds to be achieved. Soft rubber elements with a high damping capacity are also used between driving and driven parts in a drive-line fitted with a hydraulic drive.